Suspension unit with inclined guide rail

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a suspension unit and a method for taking up and transporting sausage loops with a guide rail and hooks circulating around the guide rail, where the guide rail has an elongate front side and an oppositely disposed rear side. The guide rail is inclined relative to a horizontal plane such that the front side is at a higher level than the rear side.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional of U.S. Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 16/025,725, entitled “SUSPENSION UNIT WITH INCLINEDGUIDE RAIL,” filed on Jul. 2, 2018. U.S. Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 16/025,725 claims priority to European PatentApplication No. 17179345.8 entitled “SUSPENSION UNIT WITH INCLINED GUIDERAIL,” filed on Jul. 3, 2017. The entire contents of the above-listedapplications are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a suspension unit and a method fortaking up and transporting sausage loops.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

In the production of sausages or sausage products by filling andportioning systems, sausage casings, e.g. natural, alginate, artificialor collagen casings, are filled with pasty mass using of a stuffingmachine, such as a vacuum stuffing machine. By linking the stuffedcasing, a sausage chain of connected individual sausages or portions iscreated in the linking line. When the sausage chain is transferred to asuspension unit, hooks engage at predetermined separation points so thatseveral sausage loops are formed from the sausage chain on thesuspension unit (see, for example, FIG. 18A). Such a loop consists ofseveral sausages (3-loop, 4-loop, in FIG. 18A e.g. 6-loop). But it isalso possible to suspend the sausages in pairs (FIG. 18B) or suspend oneor more individual sausages, for example, on a loop on a hook (FIG.18C).

Several hooks with respective sausages can be combined to so-calledsausage groups. When processing product on the suspension unit, theoperators must e.g. separate the group transitions (from the end of onesmoke stick 16 to the beginning of the next smoke stick 16) and e.g.close open portion ends (regardless of the type of casing). For manualproduct removal from the suspension unit, the operators must insertthread a smoke stick 16 into the loops of a group, as shown for examplein FIG. 17 , and then remove smoke stick 16 hung with sausage loops fromthe hooks for further processing.

Since the sausages in common suspension units are delivered by astuffing machine or a linking line, the hooks of the suspension deviceare at a relatively low height level. Conventional stuffing machines andlinking lines have a filling height, for example, of about 1000 mm to1250 mm. This entails that a tall operator must bend down to thesausages for product processing, which is unacceptable under ergonomicconsiderations.

In conventional art, there are already approaches to raise the level.For example, it is proposed in EP 1 172 035 to raise the sausages abovea conveyor belt with a level increase and only then to transfer them tothe suspension unit. A respective solution is complex. Individualadjustment of the working height is not possible.

Based on this, the object of the present disclosure is to provide animproved suspension unit and a method which make it possible that theworking height at the suspension unit for product processing is optimalfor all operator heights.

The suspension unit according to the present disclosure for taking upand transporting sausage loops comprises a guide rail with severalcirculating hooks. The guide rail comprises an elongate front side andan oppositely disposed rear side. The working areas are located at thesesides. According to the present disclosure, the closed guide rail is nownot in a horizontal plane like in conventional art, but is inclinedrelative to a horizontal plane such that the front side is at a higherlevel than the rear side.

By simply inclining the guide rail or the circulation track, forexample, at the raised front side, this has the advantage that producthandling, such as severing sausage chains or closing open sausage ends,can be performed without the operator needing to stoop down. On theopposite side, which is at a lower level, a sausage group can theneasily be removed with the aid of a smoke stick. A low working height isacceptable for this work step. The ergonomics improve significantly forthe operator. A straight i.e. horizontally aligned conveyor belt cantherefore be used in the linking line for delivering the sausages,which, on the one hand, increases performance and reduces costs. Thismeans that raising the working level does not take place in the regionof the linking line, but is realized within the suspension unit. Thepresent disclosure also makes it possible that the length of the workingarea is not restricted at the rear side and only insignificantly at thefront side. This results in a very high degree of utilization of thelength of the suspension unit. The operator therefore has a large regionof the length available as a working area, since the height differencefor the hook motion is implemented from the front side to the rear side,i.e. transverse to the filling direction.

A drive element, such as a drive belt, can be arranged on the guide railand be inclined together with the guide rail. A revolving drive element,such as a toothed belt, can therefore be used in a simple andinexpensive manner, for example, with a hook spacing with apredetermined intervals (e.g. 5 mm intervals for optimum smoke stickutilization). The drive element then also moves in an inclined plane.Such a solution is simple and inexpensive.

The guide rail can either be fixedly mounted in an inclined position.But it is also possible that the guide rail is pivotable about an axisof rotation D and by an angle α, i.e. is steplessly adjustable. Theguide rail may be rotatably mounted on a chassis. Such an arrangement issimple and inexpensive to implement, and requires only a rotating andlocking mechanism as compared to the conventional suspension unit. Theaxis of rotation is aligned may be substantially parallel (where“substantially” means with a tolerance of <=+−10°) to the longitudinalaxis of the suspension unit, i.e., substantially parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the chassis. This means that the axis of rotationmay run substantially parallel to the direction of transport TR, whichin turn corresponds to the filling direction of the stuffing machine andthe direction of transport of the conveyor belts of the linking line.

The height level at the front side of the guide rail can then beadjusted, i.e. locked in place steplessly or at discrete intervals. Thishas an advantage that, depending on the pivot angle α, the hooks are inthe filling direction i.e. at the front side of the suspension unit,disposed at a higher working level and opposite to the fillingdirection, i.e. at the rear said at a lower working level or atsubstantially the same working level. By varying the pivot angle, theheight at the front side can be adjusted exactly to the height of theoperator in an ergonomically optimized manner.

Starting out from a horizontal orientation, the pivot angle α is, forexample, in a range between 0° and 85° or from 5°-30°.

The guide rail at a first end comprises a deflection region in which thehooks are deflected by 95°-180°, 160°-180° or 180°, where the hooks inthe deflection region take up the separation points of the sausagechains. This deflection angle range may be advantageous because thesausage chains can then be removed precisely and the sausage loops candevelop completely within the angle 95°-180°.

The distance b₁ of a guide rail section at the front side immediatelyupstream of the deflection region from a guide rail section at the rearside immediately downstream of the deflection region is smaller than thedistance b₂ in a region that is in the direction of transport TRdownstream, wherein distance b₁ may be in a range from 50 mm to 100 mmand distance b₂ in the downstream region increases up to 300 mm to 600mm.

The guide rail and/or at least respective guide rail sections (withinthe meaning of partial regions of the guide rail at the front side andthe rear side) at the front side and the rear side taper at an acuteangle between 5°-85° or 15° and 45° toward the deflection region suchthat distance b₁ widens to distance b₂.

A section extending obliquely relative to the direction of transport isthere provided e.g. at the front side downstream of the deflectionregion such that distance b₁ widens to distance b₂. For example, aconcavely curved section can also be arranged downstream of thedeflection region. With a curved section, the hooks can be guided whenthe hooks have been deflected by 180°. The curved section can directlyadjoin the deflection region, but it is also possible that a section atthe front side of the guide rails downstream of the deflection regionfirst extends in parallel and is then followed by a concave section.

Retaining elements, such as retaining strips (e.g. L-shaped), which holdthe revolving drive element on the guide rail, may be provided on theconcavely curved section. Otherwise, the drive element would protrudelike a bowstring from the beginning to the end of the concavely curvedsection.

The axis of rotation may be located in a plane that is spanned by avector which extends substantially parallel to the direction oftransport TR and a vector which is perpendicular to the upper side ofthe closed guide rail (i.e. a virtual surface defined by the upper sideof the guide rails). This vector is there arranged closer to the rearside of the guide rail than to the front side of the guide rail. Due tothe fact that the axis of rotation is closer to the rear side (e.g. alsocoincides therewith or is located directly therebeneath), the advantagearises that the height of the guide rail can be adjusted arbitrarily atthe front side, whereas the height at the rear side can be keptsubstantially constant or changed only slightly. The guide rail on therear side, where, for example, a sausage group is removed with a smokestick, is not located too low, so that the sausage groups can be easilyremoved. The vector may extend perpendicularly through an upper side ofthe guide rail in the deflection region. With such an axis of rotation,the transfer position of the hook changes only insignificantly.

The distance of the axis of rotation D from a virtual surface or planewhich is spanned by the lower edges of the guide rail is in a range from10 mm to 150 mm or 30 mm to 70 mm.

The distance K of the hook tip of a substantially L-shaped hook from theaxis of rotation may be in a range <=50 mm. If the axis of rotation isarranged as close as possible to the hook tip in a transfer position inthe deflection region, then the hook tip may be positioned substantiallythe same, regardless of the height adjustment of the guide rail, i.e.regardless of the pivot motion.

According to an embodiment, the device comprises an apparatus whichadditionally changes the position of the hooks, i.e. in addition to thepivot mechanism of the guide rail. For example, the apparatus canadditionally pivot the hooks by an angle of 5° to 30°. This means, forexample, with a position of the guide rail crossed by an angle α, takingthe hooks to a position which substantially corresponds to a hookposition at α=0±10°. A sufficient spread of sausage loops in the hookscan thus be provided, which is advantageous for the removal with a smokestick.

According to an embodiment, the hooks are rotatably mounted on the guiderail. This means that, for example, the one-piece hooks are pivotableupwardly on the lower rear side in order to assume a position suitablefor removing the sausage loops. However, the hook position can also bechanged, for example, at the lower rear side such that the hooksthemselves comprise, for example, a joint and the hook sections aremoved about an axis of rotation such that the hook position changes.

It is possible for the apparatus to comprise an additional guide which,when the guide track is pivoted, can press against a guide region of thehooks (e.g. at the upper end region of the hooks) such that the hooks onthe rear side of the guide rail can be pivoted upwardly. It wouldadditionally or alternatively also be possible to pivot the hooks, whichare inclined by the pivot motion, by pivoting them downwardly on thefront side to restore a correct orientation of the hook, or to correcttheir position.

The additional guide may automatically press against the guide region ofthe hook when the guide track is pivoted, i.e. that the guide rail ismechanically coupled to the additional guide.

Another option for correcting the hook position when the guide track ispivoted is that the guide rail is twisted at least in sections by anangle γ, such as γ=α±10°. For the stepless adjustment of the height ofthe front side of the guide rail, for example, a predetermined valuebased on the maximum pivot angle α and α=0 for the twist angle γ can bedetermined and the guide rail can be twisted in the factory, so that thehook position is acceptable for all angles α in the possible pivotrange. A guide rail, the front side of which may be aligned verticallyor at a predetermined angle relative to the vertical when the guide railis oriented horizontally, can be taken back to a suitable position bythe twist also when the guide path is pivoted at an angle α. If, forexample, the guide track is twisted at one end region of the front sideor the rear side, it is twisted back in one direction at the respectiveother end region.

In the method according to the present disclosure, sausage loops arereceived by the hooks in a deflection region of the suspension unit andthen moved simultaneously in the direction of transport upwardly andtransversely to the direction of transport. This entails the advantagethat a large work area can be provided at the front side. The guide railcan either be pivoted fixedly by an angle relative to the horizontal orbe pivoted about an axis of rotation D by an angle α, where the heightlevel at which the guide rail is disposed at the front side can beadjusted and locked.

In the present disclosure, product processing and/or product removalwith a smoke stick can then take place at the raised front side of theguide rail and the removal of the sausage loops with a smoke stick atthe rear side.

The present disclosure also relates to a stuffing machine with a linkingline and a suspension unit. The suspension unit is there aligned in thedirection of transport such that the direction of a transport devicecorresponds to the linking line or the stuffing machine, i.e. again inthe filling direction. The deflection region of the suspension unit canbe arranged in the direction of transport directly downstream of thetransport device of the linking line.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure shall be explained below in more detail withreference to the following figures:

FIG. 1 shows schematically a linking line and a suspension unitaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows a rough schematic view of the suspension unit shown in FIG.1 with an inclined guide rail.

FIG. 3 shows a rough schematic top view of the suspension unit shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 .

FIG. 4A shows an enlarged detail of a region of the suspension unitshown in FIG. 3 that comprises the deflection region.

FIG. 4B shows portion of the deflection region shown in FIG. 4A in thedirection of transport.

FIG. 5 shows a rough schematic alternative to the deflection regionshown in FIG. 4 .

FIG. 6 shows a suspension unit with a horizontally pivoted guide rail.

FIG. 7 shows the guide rail shown in FIG. 6 with the position inclined.

FIG. 8 shows a further embodiment of the guide rail with a twisted guiderail section.

FIG. 9 shows an enlarged region of the twisted guide rail section ofFIG. 8 .

FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment in aperspective view with an additional guide for adjusting the hook.

FIG. 11 is an enlargement of region A in FIG. 10 .

FIG. 12 is an enlargement of region B in FIG. 10 .

FIG. 13 is a view in the filling direction with an inclined guide railof the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 at an angle α=10°.

FIG. 14 shows a sectional view of the hook shown in FIG. 13 .

FIG. 15 corresponds to the embodiment shown in FIG. 13 with an angle αof 20°.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of the hook shown in FIG. 15 .

FIG. 17 shows the rear side of a suspension unit in which the sausageloops of a sausage group are taken up with a smoke stick.

FIG. 18A shows sausage loops on hooks.

FIG. 18B shows a pair of sausages connected by a loop.

FIG. 18C shows a single sausage shown on a loop on a hook.

FIG. 19 shows a rough schematic cross section of a hook.

FIG. 20 shows a sausage stuffing machine.

FIGS. 1-20 are shown approximately to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a suspension unit 1 according to one embodiment of thepresent disclosure which is arranged in the direction of transport TRdownstream of a linking line 9. Linking line 9, which is connected to astuffing machine, such as a vacuum stuffing machine, can divide thesausage casing stuffed with pasty mass, for example link it, so that asausage chain of individual connected portions is obtained.

When the sausage chain is transferred to suspension unit 1, hooks 3engage at predetermined separation points so that several sausage loopsare formed from the sausage chain on the suspension unit. A loopconsists of at least one or more portions (2-loop, 3-loop, 4-loop), asshown, for example, in FIGS. 18A, B, C. Hooks 3 circulate around acirculating guide rail 2.

FIG. 19 shows, for example, a corresponding hook 3, which is for examplesubstantially L-shaped, and which comprises a hook tip 15 and a notch 20between the two arms 21, 22, as well as a guide region 14 at the upperend of arm 21, where, for example, guide region 14 in the embodimentshown in FIG. 19 is guided at the upper and lower regions of guide rail2. Guide rail 2 there runs e.g. in an upper and lower guide groove. Thehooks are driven by a drive element 5, for example a revolving belt,which engages in hook 3. While guide rail 2 is stationary, drive element5 is driven in rotation by a drive. Drive element 5 can be realized, forexample, in the form of a toothed belt, for example, with a hook spacingat an interval of 3 mm to 15 mm, such as an interval of 5 mm for optimalsmoke stick utilization.

According to the present disclosure, closed guide rail 2 is inclinedrelative to a horizontal plane by a pivot angle α. It is possible thatthe guide rail is fixedly mounted in a respective position on itssupport 17 to a chassis 4 or a lower part of the suspension unit and theposition is not adjustable. Guide rail 2, however, may be pivotableabout an axis of rotation D by angle α, such as rotatably mounted onchassis 4, where axis of rotation D extends parallel to the longitudinalaxis of the suspension unit, i.e. parallel to the direction of transportTR of the transport device of the linking line or the direction oftransport in the working area, respectively, at the front side and therear side of the suspension unit and also parallel to the fillingdirection of the stuffing machine. Chassis 4 has a height, for example,of 900 mm to 1200 mm.

As can be seen from FIG. 2 , pivoting guide rail 2 results in theworking height X at the front side of the suspension unit being at ahigher level than the working height Y at the rear side of suspensionunit 1. Working height X, i.e. the distance between the floor and notch20 of the hook can be adjusted, for example, in a range from 900 mm to1500 mm, such as 1000 mm to 1200 mm, where working height Y at the rearside is then correspondingly lower. Angle α can be in a range from 0° to85°. The working height can therefore be adjusted ergonomically to theheight of the operator by adjusting the pivot angle α. It is thenergonomically advantageous if the operator performs product processing,e.g. separating and closing sausage portions, at front side of thesuspension unit or guide rail 2, respectively. The operator then nolonger needs to assume a stooped posture. For small operator staff,angle α can be reduced to provide that the operator's hands are notpermanently in too high a working position. If product removal by use ofa smoke stick, as shown in FIG. 17 , takes place on the rear side of theguide rail or the suspension unit, respectively, a low working height Yis not cumbersome and the smoke stick can be easily inserted into thesausage loops for removing a group of sausages.

Adjustment can be effected, for example, in a stepless manner in thatthe guide rail is pivoted and locked by use of a clamping device. Alsoadjustment in steps is possible, e.g. by locking the guide rail by wayof bolts in predetermined hole spacings.

It is advantageous if the operator further has substantially the entirelength on the rear side and 70%-90% of the entire length of the guiderail at the front side of the suspension unit available as a workingarea for product removal. The reason for this is that the heightdifference with the hook motion from the front side of the guide rail tothe rear side of the guide rail is converted transverse to the directionof transport.

Drive element 5 is inclined together with guide rail 2 and hook 3arranged thereon.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 .Closed guide rail 2 comprises a deflection region 6 at its end facingthe linking line. The deflection region deflects the hooks by 180° inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 3 . In deflection region 6, the respectivehook 3 receives a sausage loop and transports it further to the frontside VS. The distance b₁ of a guide rail section 2 a at the rear side RSfrom guide rail section 2 b at the front side VS immediately upstreamand downstream of the deflection region is smaller than the respectivedistance b₂ of the oppositely disposed sections in a downstream workingarea.

In FIG. 3 , the distance is shown as the perpendicular of guide railsection 2 b to a point on guide rail section 2 a directly upstream ofthe beginning of deflection region 6. Distance b₁ increases to distanceb₂, where the curved, radius-shaped, presently concavely curved section11 in this embodiment is provided downstream of deflection region 6. Theradius of curvature is, for example, in a range from 400 mm to 1000 mm.For example, a straight guide rail section can further be providedbetween curved section 11 and deflection region 6, for example, parallelto the guide rail at the front side. This is where section 11 directlyadjoins deflection region 6. Width b₁ is, for example, in a range from50 mm to 100 mm, e.g. 60 mm. The distance between the oppositelydisposed guide rail sections widens to a region b₂ of 300 mm to 600 mmor 350 mm to 450 mm.

Despite the increase in working height at the front side of suspensionunit 1, there is a very large working area following the wideningsection 11 that is presently curved, for example, having a length of 500mm to 700 mm at a total length 1 of guide rail 2 of 2000 mm to 4500 mm.The working area on the front side is in the range from 70%-90%.

If a curved section 11 is used, as shown in FIG. 3 , then it ispossible, as is apparent from FIGS. 4A and 4B, to provide at least oneretaining element, presently retaining strips 7, which hold revolvingdrive element 5 on guide rail 2, because otherwise the revolving driveelement would protrude from the guide rail in a string-like manner e.g.during changeover of the hooks or with large group spacing. The tworetaining strips 7 in FIG. 4B may be L-shaped and engage in recesses(for example, at the top and the bottom) of the drive element, and thusretain drive element 5. At the same time, retaining strips 7 arefastened to guide rail 2. The drive element can slide past the retainingstrip.

It is also possible that the hooks are deflected in deflection region 6by an angle <180°, for example 95-180° or 160-180°, as shown in FIG. 5 .A guide rail section 2 a on the rear side and a guide rail section 2 bon the front side can then be arranged such that the sections convergetoward deflection region 6 at an acute angle β, where angle β is in arange from 5-85°, or 15 and 45°, and inclined section 2 b is selected tobe long enough that the desired width b₂ is obtained.

FIGS. 1-7 show the respective axis of rotation D. As can be seen fromthe figures, the axis of rotation may extend closer to the rear side RSof guide rail 2. The axis of rotation may extend parallel to thelongitudinal axis of suspension unit 1, i.e. parallel to the directionof transport TR, which in turn corresponds to the filling direction ofthe stuffing machine or the direction of transport of the linking line,respectively. Axis of rotation D may be located in a plane that isspanned by a vector which extends substantially parallel to direction oftransport TR and a vector which is perpendicular to the upper side orthe surface of the closed guide rail, such as in the deflection region.When for example α=0, this surface is a horizontal surface, is otherwisea surface that is, for example, inclined by angle α relative to thehorizontal surface. When axis of rotation D is arranged closer to therear side of guide rail 2 than to the front side, the relative motion ofguide rail 2 at the rear side is less than the relative motion of theguide rail at the front side. This may be advantageous since deflectionregion 6 begins from the rear side of the guide rail and has arelatively narrow size, so that this region remains relativelystationary during pivoting, which may be advantageous for the reliabletransfer of the sausage loops. The axis of rotation is located abovechassis 4 and the distance of the axis of rotation from a virtual areaor plane which is spanned by the lower edges of the guide rail may be 10mm-150 mm.

When in a transfer position in the deflection region as shown forexample in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 , it may be advantageous for hook tip 15 tohave the smallest possible distance from the axis of rotation, such as adistance k<=approx. 50 mm, as indicated, for example, in FIG. 4A. Theperpendicular of the tip to the axis of rotation is there defined as thedistance. This provides that the tip of the hook is as stationary aspossible, with a change in the pivot angle α, and reliable operation.

As is evident from FIGS. 6 and 7 , the guide rail can therefore bepivoted together with drive element 5 and hook 3 by the angle α andadapted to the individual height of an operator. The hook position isthen also changed, i.e. pivoted with the guide rail. The hooks may bepivoted downwardly at the rear side so that they are no longer properlyaligned vertically, for example, guide section 14 is no longer arrangedvertically, but pivoted by angle α like the guide rail. If the hooks arenot properly inclined, meaning that the separation points of thesausages are not located properly between arms 22 and 21, then the loopsare not sufficiently spread and may be difficult to remove with thesmoke stick. One possibility is to provide two or more twisted guiderail sections 12, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 . For example, the guiderail is then twisted on the rear side. The guide rail may be twistedbetween the beginning and the end of the rear side by an angle ofrotation +γ and −γ such that the inclination of the guide rail or thehook position, respectively, is fully or partially balanced. This meansthat the hooks are taken back to a position that corresponds to a hookposition, at α=0±10°.

It is also possible to configure the hooks such that they are correctlyaligned when guide rail 2 is pivoted in a certain angular range andadequately spread the sausages.

FIGS. 10-16 show an alternative manner of how the hooks are taken to acorrect position at the rear side, such as to a vertical position of theguide section.

FIG. 10 shows additional guide 13, which is presently arranged e.g.parallel to guide rail 2 in the region of the rear side. As is apparentfrom FIG. 11 , rail 13 is located in a region arranged adjacent to guideregion 14 of hook 3 on the inner side of the guide rail. If guide rail 2is oriented, for example, horizontally, guide region 14 of the hook isthen in a correct vertical position, and the arms of the hook are in acorrect take-up position, respectively. If guide rail 2 is pivoted by anangle α, as is apparent from FIGS. 13 and 14 , then additional guide 13presses onto guide region 14 of hook 3 in such a manner that the hookmounted rotatably around a correspondingly formed guide rail 2 ispivoted upwardly, namely by an angle that corresponds substantially toα±10°.

FIGS. 13 and 14 show a view at a pivot angle of 10°. FIGS. 15 and 16show a view at a pivot angle of 20°. As can be seen when comparing thefigures, there is a mechanical connection or coupling 18, respectively,between additional guide 13 and guide rail 2 such that the position ofadditional guide 13 is automatically adjusted whit the pivot motion ofthe guide rail. If guide rail 2 is pivoted by angle α in one directionor back again, respectively, then additional strip 13 moves toward thehook or in an opposite direction.

As can be seen from FIGS. 10 and 11 , the hooks in a correspondingembodiment can move along additional guide 13 or additional strip 13,respectively. The width P of additional guide 13 increases continuouslyin the direction opposite to the direction of transport TR, so that thehooks are not abruptly rotated, but pivot upwardly gradually to amaximum position. In contrast to the preceding embodiments, guide rail 2is there, for example, formed to be cylindrical so that guide region 14of the hooks can be rotatably mounted. Drive element 5 also runs betweenguide rail 2 and hooks 3. As shown in FIGS. 10-12 , the hooks can thenrun in an upwardly pivoted position on the rear side RS of guide rail 2and at the end of guide rail 2 on the rear side RS be pivoted downagain, since additional guide 13 terminates there. It is there notnecessary that the width P of the additional guide gradually decreasesbecause the sausage loops have already been removed in this region.Although automatic adjustment of the hook position by way of themechanical coupling may be advantageous, it is also possible, however,that the additional guide is adjusted and locked accordingly by theoperator, for example, by way of a bolt 19.

FIG. 20 shows a stuffing machine and a linking line 9, which is alsoshown in FIG. 1 . The linking line 9, which is upstream of thesuspension unit, is connected to the stuffing machine and can divide thesausage casing stuffed with pasty mass. The suspension unit is providedin direction TR after the transport belts 10, as can be seen in FIG. 1 .As mentioned previously, the axis of rotation may run substantiallyparallel to the direction of transport TR, which in turn corresponds tothe filling direction of the stuffing machine and the direction oftransport of the belts 10 of the linking line 9.

FIGS. 1-20 show example configurations with relative positioning of thevarious components. If shown directly contacting each other, or directlycoupled, then such elements may be referred to as directly contacting ordirectly coupled, respectively, at least in one example. Similarly,elements shown contiguous or adjacent to one another may be contiguousor adjacent to each other, respectively, at least in one example. As anexample, components laying in face-sharing contact with each other maybe referred to as in face-sharing contact. As another example, elementspositioned apart from each other with only a space there-between and noother components may be referred to as such, in at least one example. Asyet another example, elements shown above/below one another, at oppositesides to one another, or to the left/right of one another may bereferred to as such, relative to one another. Further, as shown in thefigures, a topmost element or point of element may be referred to as a“top” of the component and a bottommost element or point of the elementmay be referred to as a “bottom” of the component, in at least oneexample. As used herein, top/bottom, upper/lower, above/below, may berelative to a vertical axis of the figures and used to describepositioning of elements of the figures relative to one another. As such,elements shown above other elements are positioned vertically above theother elements, in one example. As yet another example, shapes of theelements depicted within the figures may be referred to as having thoseshapes (e.g., such as being circular, straight, planar, curved, rounded,chamfered, angled, or the like). Further, elements shown intersectingone another may be referred to as intersecting elements or intersectingone another, in at least one example. Further still, an element shownwithin another element or shown outside of another element may bereferred as such, in one example.

The terms approximately or substantially are defined as a tolerance of10% greater or less than the stated value or range of values unlessotherwise indicated.

The following claims particularly point out certain combinations andsub-combinations regarded as novel and non-obvious. These claims mayrefer to “an” element or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof.Such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or moresuch elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more suchelements. Other combinations and sub-combinations of the disclosedfeatures, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed throughamendment of the present claims or through presentation of new claims inthis or a related application. The term approximately is construed tomean plus or minus five percent of the stated values unless otherwisespecified. Such claims, whether broader, narrower, equal, or differentin scope to the original claims, also are regarded as included withinthe subject matter of the present disclosure.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A suspension unit for receiving andtransporting sausage loops with hooks rotating around a guide rail, theguide rail having an elongated front side and an opposite rear side,wherein the guide rail is inclined to a horizontal plane in such a waythat the front side is at a higher level than the rear side.
 2. Thesuspension unit according to claim 1, wherein a drive element isarranged on the guide rail and is inclined together with the guide rail.3. The suspension unit according to claim 2, wherein the drive elementis a drive belt.
 4. The suspension unit according to claim 1, wherein aheight level of the front side of the guide rail is adjustablecontinuously or at discrete intervals.
 5. The suspension unit accordingto claim 1, wherein the guide rail has, at a first end, a deflectionregion in which the hooks are deflected from 95°-180°, the hooks in thedeflection region receiving dividing points of sausage chains.
 6. Thesuspension unit according to claim 1, wherein a distance of a guide railsection on the front side immediately before the deflection region froma guide rail section on the rear side immediately after the deflectionregion is smaller than a distance b₂ in a region following the transportdirection.
 7. The suspension unit according to claim 6, wherein theguide rail and/or at least respective guide rail sections run towardsthe deflection region on the front side and the rear side at an acuteangle of between 5°-85° in such a way that the distance b₁ widens to thedistance b₂, and a guide rail section running obliquely to the transportdirection is arranged on the front side after the deflection region. 8.The suspension unit according to claim 7, wherein the acute angle isbetween 15° and 45°.
 9. The suspension unit according to at least claim6, wherein a concavely curved guide rail section is arranged after thedeflection region (6) on the front side, such that the distance b1widens to the distance b2.
 10. The suspension unit according to claim 9,wherein retaining elements hold the drive element on the guide rail. 11.The suspension unit according to claim 10, wherein the retainingelements are retaining strips.
 12. The suspension unit according toclaim 6, wherein the distance b₁ is in a range of 50 mm-100 mm and thedistance b₂ increases in a following range up to 300 mm-600 mm.
 13. Thesuspension unit according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises anadditional guide.
 14. The suspension unit according to claim 13, whereinthe hooks are rotatably mounted on the guide rail.
 15. The suspensionunit according to claim 1, wherein the device has an additional guideand wherein the guide track is mechanically coupled to the additionalguide.
 16. The suspension unit according to claim 1, wherein the guiderail is twisted at least in sections by an angle γ=α±10°.
 17. A methodfor suspending sausage loops on a suspension unit with hooks rotatingaround a guide rail, the guide rail having an elongated front side andan opposite rear side, wherein the guide rail is inclined to ahorizontal plane in such a way that the front side is at a higher levelthan the rear side, wherein compartment points of sausage chains aretaken over by the hooks in a deflection region of the suspension unit,then after the deflection region are moved simultaneously in a transportdirection, upwards and transversely to the transport direction.
 18. Themethod according to claim 17, wherein on the front side of the guiderail product processing and/or removal of the sausage loops with a smokestick takes place and on the rear side removal of the sausage loops witha smoke stick takes place.
 19. A filling machine with a calibration lineand a suspension unit, the suspension unit for receiving andtransporting sausage loops with hooks rotating around a guide rail, theguide rail having an elongated front side and an opposite rear side,wherein the guide rail is inclined to a horizontal plane in such a waythat the front side is at a higher level than the rear side.